With over 20 years of experience covering the Steelers for the Observer-Reporter, Dale Lolley will let you know the insider scoop. Dale can also be heard on the Steelers radio network pre-game show on WDVE-FM game days and Tuesday nights from 6 to 8 p.m. on ESPN 970-AM and WDVE during the season as a host of the Antonio Brown Show. Follow him on Twitter at @dlolleyor

Sunday, November 29, 2009

Roethlisberger is the No. 3 and is dressed.Batch, Keenan Lewis, Polamalu, Urbik, Kemoeatu, Sunny Harris and Nick Eason are down for the Steelers.Eason's a surprise. I guess they're sure Kirschke can make it through a whole game.

Friday, November 27, 2009

I've gone back and forth all week long with the Steelers game against Baltimore this week, one day liking Pittsburgh, the other liking the Ravens.

But that usually seems to be the case in this matchup, in which the games are usually decided by five points or less.

But one thing changed my mind this week to tilt me in Pittsburgh's favor. There had been some question as to whether Terrell Suggs would play or not.

Suggs suffered a sprained knee just two weeks ago against Cleveland on a hit from Brady Quinn that drew a fine. But he had been targeting the game against the Steelers for a return.

Remember, this is the guy who had two sacks against the Steelers in the AFC Championship playing pretty much with one arm. And he had four sacks in three meetings with Pittsburgh in 2008.

But Suggs was unable to practice all week and is listed as doubtful to play. Couple that with Fabian Washington's placement on injured reserve this week and the fact that both Ray Lewis and Ed Reed are nursing injuries as well and I'm leaning back toward the Steelers winning, 20-17.

You'll remember that La Canfora, who works for the NFL Network, reported in late August that the Steelers were considering releasing Pro Bowl nose tackle Casey Hampton.

Now, La Canfora is reporting that quarterback Ben Roethlisberger may not play Sunday against the Ravens despite being cleared medically to do so.

La Canfora goes on to report that Roethlisberger will inform the team Saturday morning whether he'll play or not.

Roethlisberger "may" also grow wings and fly to Baltimore on his own, but I doubt it.

The Steelers are quite certain that Roethlisberger will play. How do we know this?

They've only got one other quarterback on their roster, second-year man Dennis Dixon.

If they thought for a moment that Roethlisberger might not play Sunday, they would have signed another QB immediately.

They didn't.

And, because of the respect he'd lose in the locker room, Roethlisberger most certainly wouldn't wait until Saturday morning – when the team is leaving for Baltimore a few hours later – to inform the coaching staff if he intends to play.

So where did something like this come from?

La Canfora cites an unnamed source. But unless that unnamed source is Roethlisberger or head coch Mike Tomlin – and it isn't – this report holds as much water as the Hampton report, which was laughed off by both Hampton and the Steelers.

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

After back-to-back losses, Mike Tomlin was in pure Tomlin mode today as he discussed what the Steelers need to do to turn things around heading into a critical game against Baltimore.

Tomlin said he expects Ben Roethlisberger to be his quarterback when they play the Ravens on Sunday night, with Dennis Dixon as the team's primary, and only, backup.

Charlie Batch will have surgery Wednesday and is expected to miss two to four weeks. Former Pitt star Tyler Palko is expected to be signed to the practice squad to give the team an extra quarterback for practice purposes.

Meanwhile, linebacker Donovan Woods and defensive back Keiwan Ratliff were the latest to be released as the team tries to solve its special teams coverage problems.

They were replaced on the active roster by veterans Rocky Boiman and Corey Ivy.

Travis Kirschke is expected to practice this week and the team hopes he'll return to play against the Ravens.

As for the excuse from some members of the secondary that they were unaware of the play call for the 61-yard catch-and-run in overtime by Chris Chambers in the 27-24 loss to Kansas City, Tomlin said defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau called the third-down play before the players took the field, then reiterated the call following second down.

Thursday, November 19, 2009

After going through some individual drills on Wednesday, defensive end Travis Kirschke sat out Thursday as he continues to attempt to come back from a calf injury that has sidelined him the past two games.

Kirschke, of course, had been thrust into a starting role after Aaron Smith was lost for the season.

Nick Eason has started the past two games at defensive end with Smith and Kirschke out.

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

As if the Steelers needed any more help defeating the Kansas City Chiefs this weekend, now wide receiver Dwayne Bowe, the team's top receiver, has been suspended by the NFL for four games for violating the performance enhancing substances policy.

Mike Tomlin said the injury to All-Pro strong safety Troy Polamalu is not as serious as the team feared when he left Sunday's loss to Cincinnati.

Tomlin said Tuesday that Polamalu's injury is a PCL strain as opposed to a re-injury to the MCL that forced him to miss four games earlier this season.

"Troy's status for this game is questionable, at best," said Tomlin as the Steelers prepare to play at Kansas City Sunday. "Although we have had some favorable information in regards to where he is from a health standpoint. We're going to take it day-to-day with him."

In other injury-related news, Tomlin said defensive end Travis Kirschke will work in individual drills Wednesday, as will fullback Carey Davis.

Both have missed the past two games, Kirschke with a calf injury, Davis with a hamstring pull.

Sunday's loss will likely cost the Steelers any chance of a bye in the playoffs and could mean they might have to settle for a wildcard spot, but outside of Indianapolis and New England, who in the AFC playoff picture scares anyone?

Don't think for a second the Steelers wouldn't welcome a third game with Cincinnati.

Friday, November 13, 2009

Really, this is one of the easier picks I've made this season. The Bengals are a legitimate playoff contender, but they aren't coming into Heinz Field and winning. It's just not going to happen.

And if you think back to the first meeting, the Steelers dominated it for about 3 1/2 quarters. Even with Cincinnati's two late TD drives, the Steelers still outgained the Bengals by 100 yards.

An interception return for a touchdown caused by Santonio Holmes and botched snap on a PAT made a big difference.

How did the botched PAT make a difference. Had the Bengals made the PAT after the interception return in the third quarter, they'd have been behind 20-17 and facing fourth-and-11 with under a minute remaining. Marvin Lewis would have kicked the tying field goal instead of going for the first down.

And who knows what happens after that.

Add in Limas Sweed's dropped touchdown pass and a Jeff Reed missed field goal and you just had the perfect storm for the Bengals.

But the fact was that Keisel's play helped set the tone in this one as Kyle Orton got less and less comfortable in the pocket.

Keisel's two sacks were the only ones the Steelers had, but they were in Orton's face from the second quarter on once Dick LeBeau realized the Broncos were not going to – could not? – test the Steeler deep.

On one play late in the game, he lined up outside of the left tackle and at the snap took off across the field and covered wide receiver Brandon Stokley in the right flats, covering a good 50 yards before Orton could get the ball there.

In a move that should surprise no one, safety Ryan Clark will not play in tonight's game at Denver against the Broncos.

Doctors cleared Clark medically to go against the Broncos, but head coach Mike Tomlin decided to err on the side of caution rather than play Clark.

Clark, of course, has a rare blood disorder that caused his blood to sickle after Pittsburgh's last game here. He had his spleen removed, which was supposed to solve the problem, but there are no guarantees it would not have happened again.

If this were a playoff game, Clark and the Steelers may have come to a different decision. But since it is not, they decided it would be best not to play.

Thursday, November 05, 2009

The fine people at Sports Illustrated have put together their annual list of the dirtiest players in the NFL and the Steelers' Hines Ward ranked No. 1, while safety Troy Polamalu was ninth.

Ward plays hard and he has drawn a couple of fines during his career, but he's not dirty.

A dirty player is one who goes for an opponent's knees. A dirty player is one who is out to hurt people. A dirty player has likely been suspended a time or two.

Ward is none of that. The same goes for Polamalu.

In fact, of the players on the list, the only ones I would consider dirty are Richie Incognito of the Rams, Harvey Dahl of the Falcons and Roy Williams of the Bengals.

Incognito is well known for his less-than-legal play, while Dahl is a cut-blocking specialist. Williams is so dirty that the league had to make horsecollar tackling illegal because of him - though it hasn't stopped him from doing it.

Albert Haynesworth of Washington and Kevin Mawae of the Titans are also on the list and I've heard from different players that they do some dirty stuff. But they are also very good players.

The thing to remember about these polls is that SI sends a lackey out to each training camp and polls 15 or so players - usually not starters because they're too busy – asking them a number of questions.

Many of the players polled really have no idea what to answer because they are end-of-roster guys or rookies. So they come up with what they've seen on the highlight shows. It's hardly a scientific process.

Tuesday, November 03, 2009

As he said Monday, Tomlin reiterated that a decision about safety Ryan Clark's status would not be made until Thursday.

Linebacker Lawrence Timmons and defensive end Travis Kirschke are both questionable. Timmons, with an ankle injury, is more likely to play than Kirschke, who has a calf strain.

Willie Parker missed practice Monday with an illness. His status at this time is up in the air.

One thing of note that Tomlin did talk about Monday was that wide receiver Santonio Holmes, like Clark, also carries the sickle cell trait. But, Tomlin also noted that a couple of Denver's players also carry it as well.

Clark's illness after playing there, while tied into his carrying of that trait, was not soley based on that. There were some other determining factors as well.